1000000 ways to … be yourself

Being someone else could be very tempting. What would it be like to become diametrically different? The antithesis of what we really are? Would I make a good Wall Street shark? Could you be the most patient and conscientious teacher in the world? Or could your grandma be the provider for the family earning as a top drug hitman?

Why am I asking such silly questions?

The answer is pretty obvious – wherever I go, someone asks me if I’d like to change some of my character traits to become…wait for it…the tension is growing….more successful. No, it’s not like someone approaches me and asks that question directly, it’s just that I see hundreds of self-help books in bookstores that scream: how to plan your life, 1.5000 ways to change your life, 10.000 ways to be more effective, and my favourite type – 1000 ways to earn your first million. I wouldn’t dare to say that these publications are worthless or unhelpful, I believe they may have helped a lot of people with self-realisation and finding true happiness, I really do, but somehow I get the impression that most of these books are of the same content. Some of them are well written, even gripping, but some are simply mediocre and when you’ve read them, you feel like it was the same sentence over and over again, only written in all possible ways. Be happy, stay positive, be rich and make a plan for every single minute of your day, so that nothing goes to waste, etc.

There are tons of articles and courses on the Internet that teach you how to be better, faster and stronger. So, what do we do? We pay huge amounts of money to change and turn into someone else. What terrifies me is that sometimes it is someone we don’t necessarily like, but since we need to adjust to these wicked times, we read and listen very carefully.If you want to be successful, forget about people you work with, they don’t matter, focus on yourself, on what’s right and good for you, after all, the end justifies the means.

Some time ago my friend showed me an e-mail from his boss that was supposed to motivate people to work harder. I didn’t know whether I wanted to laugh or cry. It said that it would be awesome if all the employees from the company ABC started seeing one another as their own, personal competitors. Being even MORE efficient would help them become the employee of the week. This extremely lucky winner would get free lunch for…again, wait for it….the whole 5 days!!! However, what struck me as incredibly ingenious was the last part of the message. And here’s the quotation: “Who needs sleep?! Sleep is for the weak!” Highly motivating, right? Yay for slavery?

What does it all lead to? We are asked to become workaholics, robots who don’t complain after assembling millions of parts in a factory. I’m sorry, I’m not that type of person. I don’t need to earn a fortune to be happy and I certainly don’t need anyone telling me that I should spend more time working to prove I’m worthy of their attention. Sure, it’s nice to get a bonus, but I’ll survive if I don’t get one. Life goes on. What I need is the most precious thing in the world – time. Having it means everything to me.

When was the last time you went to the seaside and enjoyed the view without thinking about your job? When was the last time you read more than 100 pages of a book without remorse? So, be yourself, think about it and let me know. ;)

Hi and welcome to my little online world! My name is Hanna and I want to invite you to the place, where everyone can feel comfortable and safe. Treat this site as a catalogue of positive emotions and a guide to all the places we should visit at least once in our lifetime. With your help I want to write about things that motivate us and actions that may change lives. And if this place makes you smile at least once, I'll consider myself very successful. So don't be a stranger. Cheers!